The Stranger
by A1A1A1
Summary: A stranger comes to Westeros.
1. Chapter 1

The Stranger

On a Wednesday, the world was previewed to a Presidential announcement to come later that early evening. The announcement was rolled out during the morning through morning shows and online. It was obviously not an emergency, but instead teased as a 'scientific discovery'.

An unprecedented number of viewers found themselves in front of their televisions or computers to view the announcement. News outlets and online commentators had been wagering all day about the details of the secretive news. Was it space, a cure for cancer or one of the other far ranging unbelievable scenarios?

The public watched as the President approached the podium. Some of the viewers immediately noted there was no press in attendance The President gave the usual greetings to the country and world at large. After a significant pause he spoke to the heart of the matter.

My fellow Americans: Today I am announcing for the first time a fantastic new discovery that has been known to your government for some time. It has also been known by National Academy of Science personnel as well as key members of Congress. For years, we have sought answers to the universe by looking into the farthest reaches of space to the smallest building blocks of all creation. A little over a year ago, though, a gift fell into our laps that would perhaps answer more questions. To give us more answers.

The gift comes to us in the form of a man. An American, in fact. Jack McCallen is the name of the man whom you will get to know very soon. He has been blessed, or cursed, as some may think, with a fantastic ability to spontaneously travel to other worlds.

I will be the first to acknowledge how this sounds. I didn't believe it either when I was briefed on this discovery. But I have witnessed the phenomenon first hand. I have seen the recorded footage from these travels. Both are undeniable in their awesome and frightening possibilities.

In the coming weeks, months and years you will be given the facts of these "jumps". In fact, the government and Mr. McCallen have struck an agreement that will allow his journeys to date to be televised. We have also partnered with the New York Academy of Sciences to share any scientific discoveries with the public.

As I am very aware, there are still too many questions to answer at this time. I will instead instruct you to go to the White House website for more information. I will leave you with now with the hope that you are as eager to learn and as excited as I am for making new discoveries. Thank you.

The image faded out as the President left the podium. Reporters began to speak immediately before the President was out of view. They began to speculate immediately on what was said. Mostly they just rehashed what was said and spoke laboriously about the little that was known.

The public gave up on the hope that news outlets had more information, and instead shifted their focus to the White House website. It was slow to get in, and the more computer savvy quickly deduced that the user load must be very high at the moment. Eventually, they were all able to see that indeed, the website was set up in advance of the announcement.

There was a link to re watch the President's announcement. There were also links to both the _Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency_as well as the New York Academy of Science. Both seemed to promise input on the topic. But the main attractions were video links of the first recorded visit to another world and an interview with Jack McCallen.

Visitors to the website would watch them all eventually. The video of the other world was disappointing to most viewers. It was obviously filmed with a hand held camera of some sort and was, therefore, very shaky. For some other odd reason, there was no noise, either. The video started with some odd light imaging with no distinct picture. Then darkness and a sudden stream of red light to the right side of the screen. It takes the viewer a moment to realize they are seeing flowing lava. The camera follows the lava to where it is connecting with what looks like ice. Where the two immediately meet are explosions of rock, ice and steam. The rest of the view surrounding the lava and ice is complete darkness. The video ends after twenty seven seconds.

The interview with Jack McCallen is more revealing, if still brief. He is speaking to an off screen interviewer. Mr. McCallen is an average looking man in his late twenties to early thirties. He has dark hair and brown eyes. He talks somewhat shyly and with humility. One insight he reveals is that the video of the other world has no audio because he was loudly swearing nonstop in a panic. He confirms that he was in close proximity to where lava was clashing with ice. Jack describes being cooked and frozen at the same time. He finishes the interview saying he was proud of himself for filming with his phone and even remembering to grab some rocks. The interview and video end at that point. The viewers are disappointed and left with many questions.

Disappointment and questions carried through the news cycle for the following week. News outlets and commentators asked the same questions. How did this man come to have this ability? Can he go whenever and be gone for any length of time? How many worlds had he been to? What was found in these worlds?

The government promised, in time, it would give out more information in. They gave stalling answers, most involving security and privacy for Jack McCallen. That was one area the news agencies had figured something out for themselves. They found the former residence of Mr. McCallen, found out he was married with no children and that he had worked as a patent attorney. Former neighbors spoke to reporters of how the couple suddenly was just gone from their home about six months prior. The neighbors had thought of a quick move as odd at the time.

A week and a half after the first announcement there was news from the New York Academy of Science. Many suggested afterward that the information dump was not coordinated with the government, but no acknowledgment of disagreement was made. News channels and the internet carried the story to the curious. NYSA's website crashed temporarily due to over usage at one point, but quickly recovered.

What they shared was that Jack McCallen was apparently spontaneously travelling to other worlds. He had no control over it. To date he had travelled to four worlds, the last being gone for seventeen minutes. The lava and ice world had been the second. The third jump, as it was being referred to, was the longest of the four. There was no pattern, as of yet, to the length of time the jumps lasted. More importantly there was no explanation as to why this was happening to Jack McCallen.

The NYSA shared that they and the government had both done all possible physical examinations with no conclusion. They had also been on hand for the last two jumps and monitored them with all possible resources. Even with all the great minds involved, discovering why the jumps occurred remained elusive.

The NYSA revelations seemed to force the government to open up. They revealed that the two scientific bodies of the NYSA and DARPA were sharing all data. In fact, Jack McCallen was collecting samples for both organizations. The White House announced it was also going to make Mr. McCallen available soon for a press conference.

A week had passed, before the announcement was made, for when the press conference was to be. It turned out there was not going to be one. In a sudden change, it was announced that Jack McCallen was to appear on a late night talk show. He would be the only guest, and there would be no commercial interruptions.

Viewers immediately noticed how different this man looked than the one from the first video. This Jack McCallen was taller, leaner and more muscular. He walked across the stage and greeted the host with the in-house audience applauding. The host went right for the observation the T.V. watchers had noted. Why did he look so different?

"I have changed since that video", Jack said, with some nervousness. His voice had taken a deeper tone, as well.

"What changed?" the host asked.

"Uh, I have been to another world since that video. It was horrible there, and it, uh, changed me. To be like this", Jack said while gesturing to himself.

"It doesn't seem to be a bad deal", the host joked.

Jack chuckled and nodded as the audience applauded again. "Well you will get to see what I went through to get this. Everyone can decide if it had been worth it".

"So, this last world will be on television?" the host asked.

"Yes, the whole thing will be aired" Jack agreed.

"Do you swear less in this one?" the host asks.

Jack and the audience laugh together. "Uh, no, actually I swear just as much in this one. I think they just have to bleep it all out. Or, maybe not, I'm really not involved in all of that. Actually, from what I know I think you are going to see all of the videos I recorded so far."

"The first time it happened, you didn't record it?" the host asked.

"No, uh, the first time I had no idea what happened. It felt like coming apart. Like melting or dying. Actually it always feels like that" Jack finished.

The crowd grew very quiet after this statement. The talk show host pauses as he seems to consider what was said. It is obvious to the viewers that the jokes are all done now.

"How was the first time it happened?" the host asked.

"Well", Jack paused, "It was mostly unremarkable. I was at home with my wife. We were unwinding for the night and going to watch a show. I was coming down the stairs after changing and three steps from the sofa it hit me. That feeling of being just completely undone. And then complete darkness and freezing. I couldn't breathe either, there was no air. It, fortunately, didn't last long. If I had been alone I might have thought, I had a heart attack or something. But my wife saw the whole thing."

"What did she think? How did she describe it to you?" the host eagerly questioned.

"She said I just collapsed on myself. Like I was my own personal black hole. And then a few seconds later, I suddenly reappeared. We joke now that these other worlds don't like what they taste." Jack said and earned a few chuckles.

"The second time? The fire and ice world? What happened there?" the host fired off his questions.

"The second time was much like the first. Except this time, I was alone in my office at work. I managed to get my phone and record the experience as best I could. I even grabbed a handful of rocks" Jack added.

"How long between jumps?" the host asked.

"About three week in-between. I immediately called my wife after, and we both agreed we needed to try and do something", Jack said.

"And what did you do?" the host encouragingly asked.

"We went to the local university with the video and the rocks and found a scientist willing to listen. It took some convincing" Jack smiled to himself.

"I'm sure it did", the host agreed.

"So we gave him the rocks and video and he said he would look into it. About three days later that scientist called me and said he had to share the information with the government. It was too big, he told me", Jack said.

"So you waited for the government to just come knocking on the door?" the host asked incredulously.

"No. We ran my wife and me." Jack paused as the audience chuckled. "We went to California. We sought out a talent agent".

Now the host laughed in earnest. "Why a talent agent?"

Jack was smiling himself. "We knew we needed help for this issue. I didn't want to go right to the government. I imagined when they were done with me they would hose what was left of me down the drain".

The audience and the host are laughing again. "So you found an agent to represent you?"

"Well they were harder to convince than the first scientist I went to. But on the third try I actually jumped in their office" Jack said. That elicited astonishment from the audience.

"I'm sure you reappeared as a giant dollar sign to those agents", the host joked. The audience roared in approval.

"Well they were sold from that point on", Jack added with a small smile. He still seemed nervous to the television and internet viewers.

"So the T.V. deal the President announced was your idea?" the host asked.

"Yeah, I tried to make the best deal for everyone. The public gets to know, scientists get samples and information and the government gets to monitor it all", Jack said.

"And what does Jack McCallen get?" the host asked.

"I get help. Resources and money. I'm not holding out for anybody to stop this from happening." Jack paused for a long moment. "In fact I think this will kill me someday. I just want to live as long as I can."

Another hush sweeps over the audience. "What help can you be given then?" the host thoughtfully asked.

"You'll see. These worlds aren't safe for people to go to. I need equipment to protect me. Tools for surviving and for gathering information. They are working on a third protective outfit for me. The last two failed pretty well. Of course, it's hard to guess what is coming next. And you don't want to build for the last world. We figured that out quickly", Jack chuckled.

"Well we look forward to seeing what you have bravely recorded and wish you nothing but the best. Jack McCallen everyone", the host concluded to the applause of the audience.

The next day, the public continued to seek out more information. The network that was expected to air it had made no announcement yet and their website was unchanged. The government and science websites offered no new information either. It was like that for another week.

Suddenly information seemed to explode from all sources. The network set a debut date about a month later. There was even a short teaser video showing the camera view bouncing with a grey environment in the background. As the video fades to black the viewer can hear a voice, presumably Jack McCallen's yelling "Oh, God".

The science sites had interactive information about the samples Jack had recovered from the fire and ice world. The mineral composition was nothing out of the ordinary. However, the carbon dating only placed them as a few million years old.

The science sites also showed how they equipped Jack McCallen for his journeys. They showed a large environmental suit with its own oxygen tank and temperature controls. Those visiting the site noted how orange and bulky the suit looked. A note showed this was used up until world four. Many web forums asked if this was an accidental admission of a fifth jump or more.

No new information came in the month preceding the debut of the new series "The Traveler". The show was promoted nonstop in the meantime, even if little about the content of the show was shared. It finally debuted on a Tuesday worldwide. Distribution rights and money deals had also been heavily analyzed in the preceding weeks.

The viewers readied themselves to watch the new show. It began at eight p.m., central time. A familiar, trusted and handsome middle aged man was apparently hosting the show. He is standing in what appears to be an all-white, brightly lit room. The host dramatically explained what the viewing audience already knew was coming and came to expect. Still, the man often employed as narrator and host, filled several minutes with facts while also seemingly challenging how unbelievable it all was. He then reassured the viewers would soon learn for themselves the truth. "Right after these commercials".

The viewers were frustrated, but also took the time to discuss how expensive the commercials were for this show. It was widely circulated that it was a highly sought after ad placement. And highly expensive for each thirty second block.

When the show came back, the host asked a couple of questions to the viewer. Could you go through what Jack McCallen did? Would you want to? Is Jack McCallen lucky, or cursed?

Judge for yourselves, the host suggested. He then stated it was time to show the viewer world three. The screen then went black, and the block set white words slowly appeared saying "Wind World". There was no music or sound track.

The image cuts suddenly to an office and the viewers can tell it is another hand held camera, though better than the last one. There are several people and most of them are yelling. The person holding the camera is shouting the loudest, "Stay back, it's going to happen". He sounds desperate. Those, the camera is pointed at are men in women in business attire and what appear to be security guards. The guards are asking the camera wielder to put the camera down. They have hands extended at the camera in an authoritative manner. An older man in a suit can be seen and heard commanding them to, "Just get him out of here".

The guards then start to approach slowly. A loud sucking sound comes from the camera holder, and the camera appears to be dropping to the floor. Suddenly the image goes all white. It comes back slowly in jumpy blocks jabbing vertically and horizontally. A loud static noise engulfs the viewer, as well.

The camera is moving again, and the light from the front illuminates the image in close proximity. The image swings right to a small back pack. The camera operator is rifling quickly through the bag. Meanwhile, the near constant stream of smoke or dust is passing over the camera view. The hand pulls something out of the backpack that the viewers observe is a gas mask or something similar.

The camera is set down on its side on the bag. The rushing sound is somewhat diminished until the camera is picked up again. The view spins to point at a man crouching. He is wearing the mask that is now obviously meant for diving. There is a small air tank with hose attachments to the mask. The image moves again as the man brings the camera close to his face. The viewers recognize the Jack McCallen from the first video they watched. He looks wide eyed and scared. He also appears to be breathing heavily.

Jack turns the camera back to the backpack where the viewers watch his free hand shakily reach inside again. This time he pulls out a black rectangular box with a handle. It is a powerful handheld flashlight, as evidenced by Jack turning it on. The camera and flashlight are shakily brought side by side. Jack starts to point slowly around himself with both.

The sound is loud rushing sound is obviously coming from the constant blowing particles bombarding the camera and its owner. The ground appears to be flat other than the surface constantly moving the direction of the wind. The image and added light point left, right, front and back. Flat and dark as far as the light will reach. The image points to what is presumably up and also disappears into nothing.

The camera and flashlight are being lowered to the surface where particles constantly bounce off of the lens. The only other image is Jack reaching his hands clutched together into the bag. They stay there for a moment until he produces a clear plastic container. The hands in the image appear to struggle as they slowly unscrew the lid. And then Jack slowly scoops a hand full of the small particles off the ground into the container and then slowly seals it again. The container is placed in the backpack. Jack clutches the pack, the camera and flashlight closely to him. The image is somewhat shaky and views Jack at an awkward angle from below. Still the viewer can make out that the man appears to be shaking and possibly crying.

The image distorts to white again, it also reforms in the same chunky block manner. It solidifies back in the office where it started. This time, though, the camera is obviously upside down. Even so, it still manages to capture the astonished faces of those that had been angry or annoyed before. The same middle aged businessman can be heard calling for help. The image then fades to black before cutting to the host in his impossibly white room. "We'll be right back", he promises in a serious tone. On to the next commercials.

The remainder of the show was dedicated to analyze what was shown and learned. It began with an interview with the "old" Jack McCallen. He spoke of how the wind world had been extremely cold. Jack also described the noise as deafening. The host asked where the equipment came from. Jack smiled and said after the second jump he and his wife came up with the idea to have that stuff on hand at all times. Should have brought a coat, the host jokingly suggested. Jack said he agreed with him.

The and NYSA scientists filled out the remainder of the show. They revealed that the material being blown was pure granulated quartz. They speculated at length at what environmental conditions would have to be to replicate wind world. They spoke at the temperatures and planetary crust compositions needed to make the quartz. They spoke of the atmosphere that would produce the winds. Both organizations were surprised by the gravity that was at least similar to that of Earth.

The host concluded the show teasing the next episode. It showed a much better camera and very bright and rocky terrain. The host also directed the viewers to the network and science websites. He also said the new show on the sister network would explore the possibilities of these strange worlds.

The computer savvy almost immediately went to entertainment and general discussion boards. Some complained that only the one world was featured. Others immediately posted discussions about the validity of it all. The video of the other world was already ripped and flying around the world. People were picking it apart and claiming or refuting the factualness of what they had seen. Some commentators had some scientific knowledge and urged caution as they saw no immediate false information.

The next day news channels reported that early numbers indicated that "The Traveler" was the highest rated show in history. The reporters and pundits had already begun to speak of "jumping" as factual. They were now dissecting its meaning, often attributing their network bias.

The network airing Jack McCallen's journeys announced that the next episode would be in two weeks. They again gave the day and time for their other network's related programming. Both were again advertised highly in all media.

The sister site show aired five days after the first episode of "The Traveler". It was a speculative show for the most point with scientists analyzing what was already shown. Snippets of Wind World were shown again to emphasize the scientists point. The latter half of the show veered far out and imagined, with computer models, what the rest of wind world might be like.

A week and two days later passed and anticipation built for the next episode. The network teased more information to the viewers. Though, in actuality, these teases told viewers nothing. The same clip of a grey picture view and, presumably, Jack McCallen fearfully saying, "Oh, God" was teased again. This was, of course, picked apart online as that image contradicted the end of the first episode that showed another teaser of a bright and rocky world. A new round of debate began online and in people's homes.

Meanwhile, there had been no word from Jack McCallen himself since the late night interview. He did not participate in social media nor appear to be going out in public. The government denied it had locked him away somewhere. They did admit in helping with his sudden moving and helping the McCallens obtain some privacy.

Finally, the second episode arrived. It aired again on a Tuesday night. Online sources had reported the day before that the other networks were airing old movies or young children's programming to try and ease the pain.

The episode began exactly like the other. The host stood in his white room, engaging the audience and speculating about what they might see next. This time, he said, things were a little different. "This time, Jack had a little more help", the host smiled.

The image on the television shifts to another high quality handheld camera. It is night time and people are walking. On the bottom left of the screen, it shows the time as 5:32am. The image catches up to Jack McCallen, head down and wearing sweat and a hoodie. He is flanked by several uniformed soldiers and civilians. They are all walking briskly. "Can you tell us what is going on?" the camera holder asks.

A pause before Jack speaks, and then finally "It's going to happen again soon".

"How do you know?" the camera holder asks.

Another pause and a small smile can be seen from the side of Jack's face. "I can feel it, that sensation of floating and pulling at the same time. It's coming".

The video jumps to a wide, high ceilinged and circular room. The walls are grey and either concrete or steel. Jack McCallen is standing in the middle as several people are attending to him. They are fitting what appear to be sensors on his left arm and more sensors to his head. They keep asking him if it feels okay. Jack affirms and they move on. Next they are dressing him in an orange suit that looks like it was made from a large tent. They keep asking him questions and Jack keeps nodding.

An overhead voice, pumped in through unknown speakers fills the room and commands all unnecessary personnel out of the room. One person remains to help put on the mask and attach the oxygen tank. Jack is making a hurried motion with his hands. With the mask and hood secure, the civilian runs out of the room.

The view pans back, and the viewers can see several large glass windows with numerous people observing Jack. There is also an array of computers and cameras, as well as other unrecognizable devices pointed at him. Jack stands at the center of the room flexing his hands open and close. His knees are somewhat bent as if he is preparing to jump from a plane.

"It's going to be fine Jack," an older woman's voice can be heard assuring him. "Remember our breathing and rela-", the woman suddenly cut off.

Jack McCallen appeared to be falling at first. And then it seemed like he was shrinking. Neither was right of course. His body collapsed on itself into a pin hole. It seemed to struggle with the process for a half second and then suddenly Jack McCallen exploded inward.

The televisions went black across the world as it was being viewed. This lasted about fifteen seconds before those blocks of static light started to form on the image. More and more chunks of image formed until a whole picture was formed. This first image was of a bright light.

The image rotated and found a pair of black gloved hands. Sound started to come back starting with heavy panting. Beyond the hands, there was a dirt or rock ground that Jack was apparently resting on.

"Ah", he repeated several times. The sound was obviously of a man trying to right himself. After a minute of this, the audience listened for the first time as Jack McCallen was going to narrate a jump for the first time.

"Ok. Well that's always horrible," he said. Jack was still panting hard, and it was obvious he was on his knees. The image was beautiful from what could be seen. The camera situation had obviously been upgraded to stable high definition. It was obviously not hand held either, some sort of mount on the suit, the audience assumed.

"Um, well, it's hot here," Jack said.

The image climbed upward. The view was immediately whited out by intense light. The television viewers could see nothing, but they could hear Jack panting.

The image fades to black and large white lettering appears: HOT WORLD. The commercials began, and ran three longer higher quality versions of their usual efforts. Usually the quality of the ads is reserved for major sporting events. The program comes back to the white light, and the camera view turns in a small circle and then up to down.

Jack seemed to look down at his hands or arms. His right gloved hand reached his hip. There was a small grey box there. The hand slid a panel on the top open his thumb pressed a down arrow button repeatedly. "The climate control in the suit will hopefully adjust my temperature," Jack narrated.

A message popped on the lower right of the screen prompting the viewers about a website with more information. In the days before this broadcast, the network had promoted a new interactive tool to use with smart phones and other devices to "enhance your experience" while watching the episode. Those that did use it found well synched information about Jack McCallen's suit and the climate control function.

The cameras began to adjust to the brightness and began to make out some dim shapes. The viewers were anxious to see something, finally. "It looks like a large rock or boulder ahead, I'm going to head there," Jack said.

The image starts to bounce a little as it is obvious Jack McCallen is walking. He is audibly panting, though he does not seem to be moving quickly. The image stops and focuses on a slab of rock jutting from the ground. The slab and ground both now appear to be made of an array of different minerals. Flecks of black, shiny yellow and brown decorate the vast whiteness of the rest of the world.

"Okay," Jack says. He is breathing heavy. "The climate control is not keeping up so well." The words come out between gasps.

Again the viewers watch as the right hand moves. This time it goes for the left arm and opens a Velcro flap on the inside of the left arm. A small electronic pad is revealed, and Jack begins tapping it, all the while breathing heavily.

The image on the pad shows the number ninety eight. It starts to climb considerably, and the viewers make the accurate assumption it is the temperature outside. It maxes out at four hundred degrees Fahrenheit. The interactive accompaniment states that the sensors were not designed to measure higher and the sensor could only go as high as four hundred.

"Okay," Jack says again. He goes back to the box on his waste. "Well, I've turned down the coolant as far as it will go. Not helping much."

Jack apparently turns toward the light source again as the view is bleached out. "That must be why it's so hot."

Lettering appears on the image: ADJUSTED FOR VIEWING

The alien sky starts to darken until the viewers can see the round disk hanging in the sky. While it is obviously this planet's sun, it is the size of our own full moon. It is also still very white, much more than our own sun.

The view lowers again to the slab in front of Jack McCallen. "There is no shade that I can see. No oxygen, the other sensors tell me. I have my little internal water bladder with a suction straw thing. I can't remember, though, if it is cooled also. I'm afraid that it is going to be boiling and burn me. So I'm going to try to wait on the water."

More lettering at the bottom of the image: THE WATER IS COOLED

Jack reaches down to his left leg and unzips a long angled zipper. He pulls out a small hammer and some bottles. "Going to get my samples now," Jack says. He is only slightly panting as he talks.

The viewers watch as he leans down and taps the ground. Nothing happens at first. The taps of the hammer appear to do nothing to the surface that seems like it would have some give. Jack must have agreed, he gives three more forceful blows with the small hammer. Finally one of the brown flecks seems to pop out. There is also a larger loose, silvery piece lying on the ground. "That's weird," Jack says picking up the silver piece. "Oh, wow."

In his hands, he is holding up the two pieces of the hammer. The larger head attached to the handle and a chunk that appears to have been sliced off. Jack scoops up the brown fleck with a small cylinder. He stands up and is breathing heavily.

"Okay, that was weird," Jack says. The image shows him examining his hammer in his left hand as his right forearm leans on the vertical slab. "It doesn't seem like it broke. It's like it was sliced off," Jack says regarding the hammer. "Oh, BLEEP, what is that?"

The swear word was bleeped out, but viewers were now mostly aware they can be watched unedited and sometimes longer versions on the jump online. They were interested in what drew Jack McCallen's attention.

The camera spun to look down at Jack's raised forearm. The viewers could immediately tell that the suit was torn. The orange sleeve had several very even cuts that now opened like wounds. There were, in fact, actual wounds as blood was dripping through the cuts in the suit. The viewers watched as fat drops of blood touched the ground and sizzled.

"Oh no, oh no," Jack repeated. He was clutching his right arm with his left.

"It's getting very hot now, and my arm is absolutely burning," he narrates. "Everything here seems to cut through me and all of my equipment."

The camera peers suddenly down as Jack lifts a foot. His thick soled boots are a patchwork of crisscross cuts and missing pieces. None appears to be deep enough to have gone all the way through.

Jack is panting heavily again. "I am very hot; the cooler is not keeping up. Probably because the suit is torn open," Jack says between gasps of air.

"I can't sit, and there's nowhere to go," he says. As if to illustrate the point, the camera swings a full circle. The viewers verify the bright barren landscape dotted by a few slabs of protruding rock like structures.

"I don't know how long I can take this," Jack says between gasps. The show goes to commercial.

Most of the audience is almost relieved to have a break. Many would admit feeling a sense of claustrophobia from what they had watched. Some of the younger viewers were vigorously working social media and discussion board to discuss, analyze and try to interpret what they had seen.

The show comes back on picks up immediately with the bright white view. Again, the cameras adjust to show the ground of the alien world and look at Jack's lower body. He is obviously bent over in a crouched position while also avoiding touching the ground and clutching his right arm. Jack is still panting heavily, but a little slower.

"I have already said my goodbyes to my wife and the rest of my family. It was a 'just in case' goodbye. But I knew, when this started, it would kill me," Jack spoke haltingly. "Again, I will say goodbye and I'm sorry. I feel like I have to say sorry because it might seem like I have the power to go away. I never wanted to go away from you."

Whom he was speaking, to the audience could not say for sure. They were hanging on his every word though. Jack never spoke again in Hot World, though. He held that panting crouching pose for another twelve minutes. Finally, much to the relief of the viewer, Jack let in one final sharp gasp on the alien world. He stood for a moment, and the almost immediately fell backwards. The image went black with the long rectangle shapes again.

A minute passed before the view righted itself and the camera Jack wore showed the same concrete room he had jumped from. Several people were attending to him, and the angle of the camera made it obvious he was laying on the ground. The view faded to black as people were calling for Jack to stay awake. Credits ran over the black image.

In the post-show follow up the network teased that, in two weeks, The Traveler would be back. It teased the same snippet of video with Jack's fearful "Oh, god" exclamation. The network also directed the viewers to its website, and sister channel, for more information.

The next two weeks were spent by the public gorging on information and speculation from Hot World. The authorized scientists first stated that Jack had been in that world for forty seven minutes, his longest jump to that airing. This hinted at two possibilities: The jumps were getting longer and in Jack had already been on a longer one. Neither supposition was officially verified.

The scientists did confirm that the obtained mineral substance was unknown. Though they did say it was similar to obsidian and likely volcanically formed millions of years in that world's past. The density of the material was apparently giving them some trouble in further analysis.

The public was clamoring to speak to Jack McCallen, but he was nowhere to be found. There were media efforts to interview his former coworkers and extended family. They were not very informative and got little traction.

Just days from the next Traveler episode, the network, announced the next world would be covered in two episodes. As designed, a new wave of speculation and anticipation was grown from the announcement. The show's host made the media rounds to help drive up interest while not actually saying anything.

After impatiently waiting, the world was treated to the next jump by Jack McCallen. In a surprise announcement, the host explained that the episode covered two jumps. The episode began quickly with the fractured picture coalescing into a viewable image. It is dark in this world.

The cameras pop lights and show an image of an endless glossy surface. "Whoa," Jack says sharply. His arms are extended outward for balance. He and the cameras look downward to reveal a dark liquid material.

"The ground is soft and wet. I'm a little worried and think I should stand still," Jack says.

He holds for several moments and then gives a slight turn left and right. In all directions, the cameras can only see the reflective surface. It appears as if Jack is standing in a shallow sea of slurry.

Jack then pulls out several sample containers. The viewers watch anxiously as Jack gingerly reaches into the liquid. The first bottle skims the viscous surface, collecting some of the dark fluid. Jack caps the bottle and stores it in a bag, he and the viewers notice he has smeared some of the fluid on the bag. He turns his gloved hand over, to confirm more of it there. "Oh, great," Jack says. "I wonder what this is going to do to me."

He holds still seeming to stare at his hand. After several moments, it is apparent nothing is happening. "Well that's a relief. This world is not so bad so far. My gauge says it's about 7 degrees Celsius out. The suit is holding up fine. I am afraid to walk, though. I keep imagining suddenly sinking into this stuff," Jack says.

"Going to get more samples now," he narrates. He pulls out a tube with a plunger on one end. Jack pulls back the plunger while holding it upward. "Air sample," he informs the viewers. Next is a larger plastic container. Jack squats without trying to get more of his body in the substance he is standing in. He reaches the container in and digs out a larger sample from deeper down. He drops that into another container, as well. "Never understood double bagging the samples. It's not like this stuff isn't on everything now," Jack comments.

Jack is quiet for a moment and looks around. "I don't know if being here is as creepy to you watching as it is for me to actually be here. It's dark and quiet, and my own voice seems too loud and unsettling."

Suddenly, "Whoa," Jack shouts. "They said it would probably come much later."

Again he holds still. And then, the now familiar collapse of Jack McCallen and the viewer's image. When the picture reforms, it is in the concrete room again. Voices are speaking over the unseen intercom. The audience hones in on the words "Foreign substance protocol." It is noted that no one enters the room while Jack recovers his bearings. The program goes to commercial.

When the show comes back, it is the host speaking again to the viewers. He explains, in a tone implying the remarkability, that Jack had to stay in the suit another three hours as every single bit of the substance was removed with extreme caution. Funny, he seems to imply, considering Jack was only in that world for about nine minutes. The host continues on to say that the liquid material turned out to be mostly carbonous. However, and he pauses dramatically, it had traces of amino acids. "The building blocks for life," he explains.

Before the next commercial, it is all about re explaining about the networks website. The host promises more information about amino acids and their implication. A short clip runs with a scientist briefly stating how life could grow in that dark world. The program goes to commercial again.

When the show returns it is the host again in his white environment. He is sitting on the corner of a table and talking to the audience like a teacher. "What do we fear?" he asks. Beyond the unknown is those universal fears, he suggests. The host then speaks of general fears before narrowing down to things that crawl with many legs. He spoke these words with a small knowing smile, then fade to commercial.

After the commercials the show comes back and again the audience sees Jack McCallen in the center of the grey concrete room. This is still the normal Jack, a little thinner than from when the world first was introduced to him. But hardly the large alpha man they met in the latter interview.

Most of the viewers had read that Jack had a small army of trainers and scientists prepping him physically and mentally for various scenarios. He looked ready to those watching. The suit had been altered, it seemed, with a slimmer design and some built in padding at the joints. It still had a large enclosed hood with a wide plastic face. Two cameras were attached, one for each shoulder. A small rod elevated them both to Jack's eye level. This reminded the audience that those with 3D televisions could watch it as such.

The operation of prepping Jack McCallen seemed more in order. The attendants swiftly attached and made quick tugs and tests of the various pieces of gear. Jack himself stood still with his eyes closed while they worked.

"It's time," Jack says plainly.

The attendants finish quickly and hurry out of the room. The audience can hear heavy doors grind open and shut, followed by the sound of locking mechanisms. The camera stays on Jack McCallen the whole time.

Jack starts clenching and opening his hands. "Jack?" the older woman's voice calls over the intercom.

"I know doc, slow large breaths," Jack replies.

He gets two big breaths before he jumps. This time the television image stays on the same spot in the concrete room. A couple of moments later and a Jack like doll shape grows out of a hole in the air, until it fills the man in. He collapses to the ground and tears his hood off. "Quarantine," he screams in pain and terror.

He continues to scream in a high pitched voice that is terrible to hear. The screams fade with the image. The host promises, "We will be right back."

When the show returns it begins with the fragmented image of Jack's jump to the next world. Before an image can form again the large white title of BUG WORLD appears on the screen. And then the image forms and almost all those watching scream, swear or cry out in some form of horror.

Every image is crawling. Insects in front of the camera, on the camera and on Jack as he pans over himself. He is shaking them off and batting them away with his hands. It does little good as they appear to be everywhere.

Quickly the viewers orientate themselves to this new world. It is lit in a dull grey tone. The insects are crawling and flying and coming in many sizes. It is obvious these are not from Earth. They come in all shapes and sizes with a myriad of appendages. And they are much faster and more aggressive than their Earthly counterparts. There is a buzzing that is as loud as a jet engine taking off.

It is the aggression that starts to catch on with the viewers and Jack. The insects are biting and jabbing with pincers and stingers at Jack's suit. They are also attacking each other just as enthusiastically. As they score a hit on one another they either eat most of their prey on the spot or crawl and fly with the meal.

"No, no, no, no, no," Jack repeats while trying to beat them back. He starts to hop away, but everywhere he lands the ground is covered with the creatures. Or perhaps there is no ground, as one cannot be seen. Still Jack attempts to flee the horde of insects.

He and the cameras spy a hill to his left and Jack bolts for it. The audio picks up Jack's panting as well as the crunching sound that accompanies his foot falls. The hill grows in the camera view and Jack begins to climb it. Even here the footing beneath him crawls. Part of the viewers' image is obscured as a worm like body slides over one of the camera lenses.

Jack is climbing but loses his footing and his right hand plunges into the mass of crawlers. He quickly withdrawals it, but a dozen or so of the creatures are assaulting his glove and sleeve. In a panic he beats his hands together to get them off. After clearing his hands it must have occurred to Jack that standing still is a bad idea. He and the cameras look down towards his feet.

The audience watching from their televisions and other devices felt anxiety as Jack stood to get his hands free. They sensed that standing still was a bad idea. That anxiety was validated as the sought out Jack's feet. There were none to be seen. Nor were there legs below the knee.

Jack cursed and tried to run and swat at his lower body. It was obvious that while he desperately wanted to get away the mass of creatures were slowing him down. Suddenly an insect the size of a cat landed on Jack's chest.

It seemed to be half spider and half scorpion and milky white. Four large legs were attached to the front thorax. The back thorax had a pointed tail and either a curled leg or second tail underneath it. There were no visible eyes. But the creature did not appear to struggle with finding its prey. The tail and legs jabbed furiously at Jack. The audience could hear the rapid succession of blows as they heavily landed.

Jack McCallen seemed to tap into something primal as he grabbed the creature's tail and flung it spinning into the air with a yell. He yelled again and shot a pile of the smaller bugs into the air with two big kicks. He then made to climb the hill again. He took two steps upward when in front of him more bugs were flung in the air. Below the thrown bugs was what had to be a head. It was flat and armored and very wide. It was obvious to the viewers the creature was big. Again no eyes could be seen, but the creature definitely had a mouth. To both sides of the mouth was a pair of pincers that looked like tyrannosaurus-rex arms. They seemed to be attached to the jaw of the creature. The four pincers scooped piles of the smaller bugs toward the mouth. Inside were what appeared to be several rows of jaws that retracted the piles deeper inside, like a conveyor belt.

Jack ran sideways while clearly watching the large creature for danger. As he got some distance he looked further up the hill. More of the larger insects would pop out and take their prey. They would then hide back under what either counted as the ground in this world or into their own carapace. No matter, it seemed to the audience that Jack would not continue to go up the hill.

He trotted horizontally along the base of the hill, all the while fighting the never ending attackers. It was obvious he was looking for a way out as he stole glances toward the horizon. But the dull grey light did not illuminate very far in any one direction. After the last stolen glance Jack looked back to the hill and suddenly stopped. Looking down a few feet in front of him was what appeared to be a section of yard wide centipede.

It seemed to be upside down with hundreds of red legs pointing sky word. The creature was not moving at first. The thing blocked Jack's forward progress and he made to step over it. Suddenly the body stirred and Jack jumped back crunching the insects below his feet. He stayed still for a moment watching the centipede like creature.

What seemed to the viewers as the belly started to tear open and then suddenly burst. Pouring out were six inch long armored creatures that resembled pill bugs. They immediately set upon, or were set on, by the throngs of other crawling and flying citizens of this world.

Jack ran and leapt the centipede-like body and kept working around the hill. "Oh, yes," he spoke.

It took the cameras a moment to find what he noticed, but there it was. About a quarter mile ahead and downhill was what appeared to be a cliff with water slapping against it. Jack ran for it.

During his run he slipped numerous times. With each fall he had to fight off large numbers and varieties of the insects. The air was filled with his would be attackers as well. The cameras and Jack's hood was swarming with them.

Death and fighting was all around Jack as he ran toward the cliff. Larger creatures would pop out or jab toward the ground for prey. Several made attempts at Jack as well. But they did not seem to understand a creature that was itself not simply trying to kill and eat everything. Jack was able to dodge or otherwise anticipate their attempts on his life.

Finally he reached the cliff and seemed to find a genuine ground. The insects thinned at his feet and there were no flyers at all. The ground was white with ribbons of faded pink in them. It was pock marked with holes of all different sizes. Jack stepped gingerly onto the white ground. In some places it did cave but only a few inches. It appeared to be made from some kind of soft rock, semi-solid but definitely not dirt.

It seemed that Jack and the audience had both been holding their breath to this point. Jack panted loudly and vented some profanity seemingly at the horror and disbelief. He then did a once-over on his whole body looking for the creatures. He then examined the suit itself, seeming to look for tares or holes.

"Well, the new suit seems to have held together. How I'm not dead though, I don't know," Jack says through gasps of air.

He takes a few more moments with his hands on his knees. "Not gonna sit," is all he says during this time. Jack then takes out a rugged looking electronic reader of some sort with a fat antenna. He does a small turn with it while looking at the screen. The audience cannot make out what is on the screen.

Jack finally volunteers the information. "Well I didn't plan on taking my hood off, but now I know I can't," he says. "The air seems to be mostly methane. I have about eight hours of air on me. So if I don't jump soon there is going to be a problem." And on that thought the show goes to commercial.

This break leads to an explosion of social media commentary and declarations of astonishment. Some of the more computer savvy begin prepping memes and gifs from screen grabs of the show to put online the next day. Of those watching in person with family and friends, many state they cannot watch anymore. When the show comes back on, they are still watching.

Picking up immediately before the break, Jack puts the gas reader away. He begins to inspect the white stone he is standing on. "Maybe limestone?" he questions. Jack grabs samples of the ground.

He then begins to laugh to himself. "All of those bugs and I did not collect one. The doctors are going hurt me the most when they see this," he chuckles.

Jack stretches and then takes in the rest of the area. The audience watches through the eye level cameras as they sweep side to side. Not much is visible with the haze. In fact it seems thicker in the area with the non-insect saturated ground.

Jack must have decided to examine some more, because the cameras start to walk slowly forward. Three or four more steps and Jack the view collapses downward as Jack apparently falls. Many watching gasp in surprise. They are surprised again when they see what felled Jack.

He and the billion plus viewers are staring down the edge of a cliff. One that Jack almost walked off. About twenty meters down was a large body of milky-white water. It crashes against the white cliff, but can barely be heard from the din of the insect hordes killing and feeding off of each other.

"Wow," Jack says. "These jumps would be easier if I wasn't always trying to get myself killed. At least the pads built into the suit saved my knees. Crashed hard to stop myself from falling."

The viewers then watched as Jack gave himself another once over. "I was not particularly afraid of bugs before but that was beyond horrible," he said. His hands patted quickly and forcefully on himself all over.

Jack seemed to have compromised with himself over sitting by taking to one knee. He faced toward the hill he had fled from. "Listen," he directed his viewers. The audience had no trouble hearing what he wanted them to. The buzz from the native creatures caused by their incessant breeding and feeding sounded as if Jack were standing in the middle of a major freeway.

Jack stared in their direction for several minutes leading into the next set of commercials. Discussion continued in homes and online. Most admitted they could not handle what Jack had gone through. Some speculated how this could be the world that had changed the man.

When the show returned Jack was turning toward the water, or whatever milky liquid was splashing below him. It was interesting to see it slap against the porous stone, but the audience could not see the why Jack stayed so long with the image. Until Jack shouted, "There," and pointed somewhere to where the top of the water met the cliff.

"Watch the red streak right there," he commanded. The viewers scanned their eyes until they saw what he was looking at. They soon found a ribbon of red in the rock wall just above the water. Jack and his audience stared at the spot and watched as it was engulfed by the liquid. The pool, lake or sea was rising. It was hard to get a sense of the size of the body of water due to the gaseous fog that permeated the sky in all directions.

"Yeah, that stuff is definitely rising," Jack says. Commercials again, but first preceded by links to the network websites promising more information.

When the program returned Jack seemed to have not moved. The camera angle was essentially as it had been before the commercial. However the noticeable change was the water level had risen drastically. It was now approximately three meters from the surface. It could be heard now as well.

The sound it made was not of crashing water, but a slopping sound as it fatly hit the cliff wall. The liquid swelled and slapped against the white rock like a fast, thick boiling soup. Jack directed himself and the cameras upward. It seemed that as the liquid raised the fog rose in sync. Visibility in all direction lengthened considerably.

Turning toward the buzzing mass of creatures it was obvious to the viewers that whatever held the swarm back did so no longer. It was not as if they all noticed Jack for the first time, it was more the game field was opened further to play. The insects of this world took their mass mating and killing toward Jack and the viewers at home. It was like black, green and red lava slowly rolling toward the viewers screen.

Jack fulfilled the internal wishes of over a billion viewers by getting up and moving. However the expanded world view showed that the mass of creatures did not just come from the hill Jack had jumped by. The entire visible landscape, miles now, was the same rolling mass. It was only interrupted periodically as much larger denizens jutted out from below or dove downward for their kills.

Even with little visible options Jack walked along the cliff wall, obviously looking for a way out. It seemed Earth's collective hope for deliverance from the bug terror won out. Ahead of Jack, by about fifty meters was a small island close to the cliff. All of those watching almost had the same thought. _Jack get to that island._

Jack obeyed. He ran quickly and carefully. All the while he kept an eye on the rolling mass of death closing in on him. The flyers already started to reach him before he was halfway there. They stabbed and chewed at Jack's protective material. Venomous stingers repeatedly poked at the man. Jack paid most of them little attention, save the ones blocking his view.

He sped to the island that was much closer now. The sound was closer to. The left camera showed peripherally to Jack that the hordes were very close. The flyers became a blizzard and the noise was again deafening.

Jack, though, has reached his destination. The image turns right and Jack sprints. Ahead is a small pillar of bug free rock that looks just like the cliff he ran along. There is no hesitation to calculate distance as Jack leaps for it.

He hits the rock hard and incompletely. The viewers watch as his hands scrabble for a hold. His right hand only succeeds in dislodging a large piece of the stone the rolls past him. Jack's left hand has a hold and he begins to build on that. It is very tense for the viewer as they can almost feel his struggle. Jack says nothing, but grunts and struggles his way further up. Looking backward he shows the audience his feet trying to working for momentum. Finally something catches because the view suddenly lurched forward as Jack throws himself to level ground.

He is panting heavily, but still working the bugs off his suit. He catches a fat four winged creature and drops it into the still rising milky liquid. The insect doesn't sink, it disintegrates. Jack moves himself closer to the center of his little island. Looking inland the other ocean of death has fully reached the cliff.

The insects mostly stop there. But many still manage to fall in as they play out the struggle of their seemingly brief lives. They all disintegrate regardless of type when they hit the liquid. Some even burrow out of the cliff wall only to fall to their deaths. Jack and the viewers watch as the beautiful and horrific display of life at its most brutal plays out before them. The image goes to black and credits roll.

After the credits an announcer dramatically promises in two days you, the viewers, will get to see the stunning conclusion to Bug World. After that it is the misfortune of local nightly news broadcasters to follow up. The viewers worldwide can only declare their astonishment with one another in their homes or online. It is a long two days to wait.

Again the network offers no more than their official references to rearing on the sister network and online. The scientific components offer much more from the two affiliated science centers. They have interactive tools to look at the insects and short videos from entomologists. The videos point to the different breeds and examines their appendages and uses for them. Probably most interesting for the website visitors is in regards to speculation of the world itself. Most of the scientists believe the insects are constantly and rapidly evolving, their excess energy coming from a unique hyper usage of the high levels of methane in that world. One idea was that the world could have been covered in plants at one point that aged and recycled and also caused the methane explosion. In time the insects overtook plants and any other variety of life in the world. This idea suggested the bugs would take in and release the methane as they quickly lived and died. More information was promised following the next episode.

Finally the two days had passed. The second episode aired with somehow even more viewers. The host started again with the fear we have of insects. To his right an image popped up with the teaming Bug World creatures swarming the image. The host gave a well-timed shudder for the viewers. He then asked the ominous question, "How could it get worse?"

The image opens where the last episode had left off. Jack was on his little island shifting his gaze between the man high ocean of killer insects and the milky acid solution climbing below him. The creatures continued to tumble into the white liquid, popping and disintegrating on contact. "I am not getting a sample of that", Jack says, referring to the liquid. "I don't care how mad they all get."

A few of the fliers make their way to Jack's island, but just passing over the liquid has an effect on them. They land listless on the rock and seem to lose interest in the man. Most assume the more earthly posture of curling up and dying. Jack does bottle or bag some of them.

He pauses from staring at his two potential deaths to consider a third. Accessing his arm data pad, Jack notes that he only has about an hour and a half of oxygen. "Not going to really sweat that right now", Jack narrates. "But when it gets to fifteen minutes I will have to seriously way my options." His and the viewers image shifts to the liquid. Commercials.

When the show comes back Jack talks through his activity as he takes sample from his little island. It is hard to hear with the drone from the mass of insects nearby. Jack does his tasks and narrates at a near shout.

Some audience members not the show only has about fifteen minutes left. The viewers start to feel their own anxiety rise as they know somehow time is running out for Jack's safety. Sure enough their fears are rewarded.

As Jack finishes his task he glances down again at the rising milky sea. Inexplicably it raised within a meter of the surface. The liquid is lapping against the ground beneath Jack's feet. It splashes sloppily and thick. Some of the ground pops and disintegrates. At this point it occurs to a few viewers that the ground itself is probably at least partially made of insect husks.

Jack makes the natural human reaction by backing away. Then reason overtakes instinct as he turns to confirm the island is being overtaken from all sides. "No, no," Jack says with exasperation. He paces a little as if there was some way out on the tiny grey featureless island. He does the only thing he can and waits in the center. The last commercials air.

The audience uses this time to check their anxiety. Weather it was viewing parties or families at home, the viewing experience was nearly identical. Hardly anyone had reached for their drinks or foods while watching. Many admitted and joked with one another about sweaty palms and accelerated hearts. In this one time the commercial break seemed too short.

The show returned with Jack speaking to himself, "Come on, come on. Jump." The words were hard to hear from the drone, Jack made no extra effort to let the audience hear. He verbally willed himself to jump for another minute or two.

A splattering of the liquid passed his view from the left. It spread on the island in droplets, popping or pooling where it landed. Jack took a full circle to confirm his time was running out. He started to breathe heavily and the audience could tell his upper torso was rocking back and forth. They could not tell before Jack started what he was preparing to do.

Jack sprinted toward the cliff, toward the mass of creatures. The image stayed forward, no looking down. From the island the insects were a vague sea, but their eyes, wings, pincers, stingers, heads and legs came into sudden swift clarity as Jack through himself into their mass. But he did not get swallowed by the mass, he hit them like striking a hedge. The cameras were blocked by the too close insects attacking them. The images was cleared somewhat as it became obvious Jack was falling backwards. He was swinging and kicking at them all wordlessly from pure instinct.

Throwing piles of them off his face and upper torso, allowed the viewers to confirm Jack was on his back and balanced on the cliff edge. The acidic liquid was and arm's length below. Jack obviously was oblivious to that threat as he continued to struggle with creatures assaulting him.

He and the cameras were able to look down towards his feet. A sudden burst in the swarm of insects as dozens of the giant pill bug like creature bulled their way to Jack. They were also not impressed by his protective suit. "Oh, God," Jack started to scream. The audience could see the lumps swelling in his suit. Jack continued to scream.

Suddenly the image thankfully shattered, only to reform in bars of white on black. An actual image came into view, it was the concrete room. A familiar and comforting site in comparison to what the audience had been watching. However that notion was shattered as Jack's screams resumed. He did manage to painfully shout one word before the sow ended: "Quarantine," he had screamed. Lights in the concrete room started flashing red and the audience could barely make out commands shouted on the PA system as the image and sounds faded to black and the credits rolled.

In a surprise announcement immediately after the show Jack McCallen was going to make another late night talk show host appearance immediately after the credits. Sure enough, that show's host came on explaining how it was a special episode airing early. He followed that with a quicker than usual monologue that hit on the Bug World insects. Comparisons were made to some celebrities and politicians. Soon, the monologue, which seemed only in place to preserve the show's structure, was over. The host then dramatically promised his only guest, Jack McCallen, would be on after the commercials. There was almost no audience drop off in America from the Traveler to the next show, in spite of no notice.

When Jack walked on the stage to loud applause he sat with the host. While used to the biggest of stars, the host spoke rapidly and stumbled over some words. He was facing the new Jack McCallen the world had only a glimpse of before. Much taller and muscled, he seemed hardly the unfortunate attorney thrown into violent worlds.

The two men started with some banter about bugs. The host asked if Jack had a bug phobia before he went to Bug World. Jack gamely replied no, but he did now. The audience laughed, but there was a palpable tension and anxiety in the air. It was as if the world was collectively wishing the host to "get on with it."

After the commercial break the host indulged the world's wish. He asked if Bug World was related to Jack's new appearance. Jack McCallen seemed to struggle for the words for a moment before simply settling on a sheepish "yes". He went on to explain in detail how it came about.

Jack explained that what he was telling the viewers was told to him by the doctors and scientists in the military hospital as he awoke a month after returning from Bug World. The 'pill bugs' had indeed burrowed into his flesh. However they did not begin eating. They instead injected him and began to transform him into a brood host for their intended offspring.

On the one hand it seemed like it was a great improvement, Jack explained. They optimized his body in their first stage of transformation. The scientists prevented the next stage initially with the removal of the insects. They followed that with heavy doses of radiation treatments. The doctors unequivocally expressed surprise that Jack survived the ordeal.

"And now you are this superman," the host observed.

"Yeah, totally worth it," Jack quipped.

In more detail Jack explained that he was indeed disproportionately stronger than other men and healed quickly. Though he dialed back the "ooh's" from the audience. He charmingly said he doesn't pick up cars or reattach a chopped off arm. Mostly, he explained, it just leaves him with an extra-large appetite.

"And did this change alter your jumping?" the host asks.

The question is a mood killer, the viewers observe. Jack loses his smile and his face darkens. He says it has not changed and that he had already made a jump in the months since Bug World. He halfheartedly offers it will be on T.V. soon.

"What about those bugs you brought back with you?" the host asks.

"Well I hear that a couple are still alive," Jack starts. The audience gives a loud shocked reaction.

The host looks stunned as well. "Alive?" he asks with astonishment.

"Yeah, but I have declined to visit them," Jack says. "I have been promised they are well controlled and are supposedly going to be studied for potential medicines."

"Kind of scary to think about though," the host said.

The interview ends shortly after with some questions about how Jack's life, in general, is now. The responses are non-committal beyond Jack promising that he and his wife are well. He would not answer where he lives or what he felt the future held.

A month later and a new episode of The Traveler debuts. It is only one episode as the jump was much shorter than Bug Worlds, yet still longer than Jack's first few jumps. A timeline is posted online before the show airs. It reveals the dates and lengths of the jumps. They started for Jack over a year ago and list all of the jumps up to the most current one.

The episode is much more benign, while sill fascinating. The world Jack jumps to, is full of what appear to the audience as either very odd plants and trees or very large mushrooms. The ground, if there is one, is completely covered by root or vine. They cross and intersect like jumbled cables leading to the strange native trees or large plants. The trees have what look like the caps of mushrooms, but the outside of them is very thick. Much like the world of murky liquid, Jack does not move much here. He grabs a myriad of samples from his close proximity. Thick stream of what appears to be pollen blow by him and he collects some of that as well. For Jack it is a comparatively pleasant experience, it seems. He jumps back home without incident.

Bug World and the last one start a debate about the biohazard potential of the samples Jack brings to Earth. Many question the containment threat of the bugs and now what appear to be alien plants. Nonaffiliated doctors spell out hypotheticals of environmental disasters that could occur if these life forms got loose. The government and its own scientists work the news outlets and give behind the scenes tours to assure the public they are safe and that containment is not an issue.

Another non-official scientist drops a bombshell on the world. An Israeli physicist, Nisim Demb, claimed to have formulated a model of times of both the length of future jumps and their time apart. Demb proposed there is a pattern of expansion and contraction in both the time of the jump and the time in between jumps. And while they did contract every other time, they continued to lengthen in duration for the next. The most shocking claim was that Demb predicted the coming jump would last years. The rest of the world's scientific community would eventually confirm Demb's model.

It would be six months before that jump occurred. During that time Jack McCallen was not making appearances. Paparazzi would spot him and his wife together at times. It appeared the two were spending a great deal of time traveling. And the now much larger and world recognized Jack was harder to blend in.

The news and internet communities continued to ask questions about the Demb time model and what is implied for Jack. The government was mostly silent and hid behind the veil of keeping the McCallen's privacy. That continued for about three months.

Finally a news announcement confirmed the Demb model was the official position by the United States government in its regard to Jack. They also announced they will continue to respect the McCallen's privacy for the future. No questions were answered about an approach to a multi-year jump.

Beginning about a month before the next jump, the government decided to share. More so their scientific contingency. This resulted in a full on media day. Select members of the press were given a tour of a secret research facility. They were shown the Bug World creatures behind a thick glass roaming around on rocks and animal bones. Each bug was in its own separate container because, as it was explained, while they were the same species they still attacked one another. The competing theories about this was to establish genetic superiority or that devouring each other would let one or more quickly evolve. It was obvious the scientists were very happy with their subjects. They said they expected in the next few years to have new discoveries with an impact on medicines and building materials.

When asked about the plant world samples, the tour guide dismissed the question by simply saying, "They were not available yet for viewing." The tour continued on to the familiar jump room. The grey concrete walls and the array of flood light hanging from above marked the well-known room. The guide confirmed this was indeed the room and followed with a little question and answer session with the reporters.

The next stop went to the equipment and testing room. There the reporters were met by an Army colonel and several high ranking scientists from DARPA and NYSA. The scientists spoke about their research and again emphasized safety and the sharing of knowledge.

The tour then finds itself in a conference room with a panel of scientists, military officers and surprisingly McCallen's agent and manager. The first question asked and answered regarded an appearance by Jack McCallen. No, it was confirmed, he would not be coming. The panel and journalists then went back and forth about the pressing questions.

The team was going to operate under the assumption that the next world would have a suitable environment for Jack to live in. There was obviously no need to invest in a scenario that could not support life. After all, Jack was going to be there for years. The journalists were told that a new suit was being made that would hopefully be more adaptable to different scenarios. No details were given at the time.

The interview aired and the world waited another month. Speculation filled the void with many wondering or assuming this was Jack's final jump. Scientists were interviewed, stating that Jack would have to hit the probability jackpot of all time, to survive the next world. Many wondered about the mental condition of Jack, considering the rapidly approaching deadline.

The Demb model gives the day and approximate time. It is a Thursday morning in the United States. The media is blitzing the event with coverage and work productivity across the country plummets. The government essentially states it will not give out the results of the jump. They will not even confirm if the jump has occurred.

While the news outlets are in a frenzy of speculation and minutia analysis, the rest of the world gets on with the day after losing interest. It seems apparent that nothing is going to be found out soon. Reluctantly, the eager viewers turn off televisions and computers.

So it comes as a major surprise when a news conference hastily interrupts the world later that evening. A spokeswoman is standing in front of many familiar faces of the scientific and military community. She is blunt and quick to the point. Jack McCallen did jump on this day. He also returned almost immediately. The only thing that the woman would confirm was that Jack was alive and that from his perspective he did indeed live in another world for years. The team quickly exits the news conference ignoring the barrage of questions.

It as a frustrating time for knowledge seekers. The government is a wall of silence. The president and all high level administrators avoid interviews all together to avoid the inevitable questions. It goes on like this for two months. Some members of Congress publicly press the administration for information. Many speculate if something more dangerous than Bug World is threatening humanities safety. Still the official silence holds strong.

After two months of stone walling the silence is finally broken. Most likely, though, not how the government would have preferred. The television network that aired The Traveler held its own press conference. It was better planned and timed with full access to press and web casting. The network and Jack's management team were charging the government with refusing to allow airing of the last jump. They spoke of the agreement violation and the suit they were preparing to draft. The entertainment team also strongly hinted they may defy the order and air the content if they don't get the decision they are expecting.

The announcement prompts a flurry of reactions. Many Freedom of Information Act suits are filed. More members of Congress now demand the jump experience be released. World leaders say it is censorship of scientific knowledge.

Within days the government is forced to reply. This time it is a senior military officer sitting at a table of microphones. The grey haired man states that the government was still reviewing the recorded video from the jump. The man spoke of caution in just showing the video as there may be a social repercussion in doing so. Not much more is offered to the public.

The particular charge is interesting. A 'social repercussion', peaks the curiosity of the world. The internet and televisions explode with theories. The overwhelming demand for the world Jack jumped to now forces the issue. In the third month since the jump, the government relents. The Traveler will air the Jack's experience.

It is announced it will begin in still another month. The network explains how there are thousands of hours to pour through. They also announce that the show will begin to air twice a week. It is also teased that the audience cannot begin to believe what they are going to see. Jack McCallen will not make an appearance in the meantime.

The month passes and the debut episode airs. The host is in his white room. This time, however, he is sitting in a large wooden chair in front of a large stone fire place that is most likely computer animated. The host is staring right at the viewers with hand together just under his chin. He gives a contemplative pause before speaking.

We have travelled with Jack McCallen to fantastic worlds. We have felt his pain and his fears. But what is the worst fear? Jack was changed in Bug World, but he was still the same man inside. Should a person fear pain, death or changing as person the most? Becoming something you may not like. Can a person be changed inside by a new world, or, perhaps can they change the world itself?

The host's image fades to black. White lettering appears with the title of "The Stranger." The image changes to Jack McCallen standing in the familiar cement room. This time he is dressed in all in black. It looks like SWAT clothing except there are bulges nearly everywhere. The forearms are padded and possibly armored. The same is with the legs. The chest is definitely armored with what appears to be Kevlar. Pouches are bulging all over the entire suit. Audiences everywhere are asking each other what they think the pockets and pouches contain.

Being well supplied is not surprising, but the head gear is. Gone is the broad face glass and hood, now there is some sort of vision gear resting at the top of Jacks head. There appears to be a standard hood behind his neck. The impact of seeing the head equipment solidifies for the viewer that the experts have gambled on a favorable environment in the next world.

A moment before Jack jumps, he looks to his right at someone off camera. He smiles and appears to be crying. Finally he tightens his mouth and gazes downward. The collapse occurs and Jack disappears. The image cuts to black.

The audience is expecting a commercial. However the image suddenly jumps to a bouncing hand held camera, close to the glass outside the concrete room. Many people can be heard yelling and calling out Jack's name. The image just barely shows the man on the floor. This jumble of sensory input also begins to fade, while a voice yelling out "what is that?" can clearly be heard. Now the commercials begin.

When the show comes back the audience sees again Jack before his jump, the collapse and the image distortion. The block lines of black and white begin to form until an image appears. The first image is a large rock covered in moss. Then the picture swings around and the audience can hear Jack breath heavily. He is spinning in all directions looking around. It is too quick for the audience to make anything out. Finally the man steadies himself to one position. "No way," he says to himself.

It appears Jack is in a forest. The sky is grey, but appears to be morning where Jack is. He squats to the ground, opens a pouch and removes a heavily padded handheld device. He uses several attachments and takes multiple readings. "So far so good," he narrates.

He then tries another device and holds it up high. "No radio frequencies," he states. Looking up Jack and the audience can see and hear several small birds. The image does not bounce at all now and the viewers can watch easier as promised image stabilizers are in use. The cameras are now smaller and built right into Jack's new suit.

The image shifts to a stable head level and Jack begins to walk. After a commercial break he is still walking through the dense forest. "I can live with this," he says. "Just need to find food."

The audience watches as Jack walks a distance before pausing at a tree or dirt mound. Each time he looks around and listens before moving on. The audience becomes aware that the episodes time is running out and wonder if Jack will find food before then. Or if something more eventful will happen. While this world seems safe, Jack and his viewers are leery of some hidden danger.

Suddenly Jack dashes to his left. He comes to a stop at a stream. "Yes, yes, yes," he happily repeats. There is a thin layer of ice on top of the edges of the stream. Jack pulls out the device that obviously takes environmental readings again. This time he tests the water. Jack lets out a quiet celebration as the sample is apparently satisfactory.

The audience then jumps when Jack leaps in the middle of the stream. He brings his hands up with a wriggling fish between them. Jack is chuckling to himself. The show cuts forward to jack cooking the fish over a small fire. Jack is animatedly talking now about his plans. He points to a tree and says he will put a lean-to against it for the night. Jack continues to plan how he can build himself a log cabin in no time. Hunting, fishing and making stores in case winter is almost on this land. He oddly seems happy, perhaps because, the viewers speculate, this world is not trying to kill him.

"Wait," he says. Jack stands and begins to walk forward. The audience cannot see what the issue is. Jack picks up the pace with quick glances to his sides. After several moment he reaches his destination.

It takes the audience several seconds to realize what they are looking at. Many asking those watching with them what they are seeing. Eventually everyone can make out the same image. A great white tree with long twisting limbs stands before Jack. In its trunk is what appears to be a face with red eyes and mouth carved into it. The image holds for another moment before the credits roll.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As expected, there are no official explanations for the tree with the face in it. And everyone knows there is much more of this world still to be seen. Still, the anticipation carries through to the next episode.

It begins where the last left off. Jack is staring at the red eyes and mouth formed into the white bark of the tree before him. The audience watches as Jack waves his hand in front of it. He even says "hello", at one point. With no reaction from the tree Jack moves closer and gets he and the audience a better look.

Gingerly he touches the tree's white bark. He slowly moves his hand to the orifices that seem to bleed. Touching it then rubbing his gloved fingers together, Jack announces it must be a type of sap or resin. Then he states the obvious, "That means someone must have carved it."

Jack takes a look in all directions around the tree and on the ground, obviously looking for more signs of life. Seeing none, he steps away from the tree. A good distance away he squats to the ground. Jack positions a camera, from somewhere on his person, to look him in the face.

"Okay, so that is really weird," he declares. "I am not going to camp nearby after all. If there are locals they probably know the area better than me and would no doubt catch me sleeping. So the only question is where to go next?"

Jack returns the camera and the view switches back to Jack's perspective. He wrestles through some pockets before pulling out a very solid looking compass. The audience doesn't get much of a look at it before Jack is tapping it on his forearm. "What the hell?" he asks. Holding the compass up into view, the audience can see that the directional needle is swinging wildly in different directions.

"That's great," Jack says. "Should have requested a working compass."

Text appears at the bottom of the screen that says all of Jack's equipment was rigorously tested and of the highest quality.

"Well, I now think I should very much get out of these woods. Maybe find the top of a hill to call my own," Jack says.

He begins to pick up his pace while also pausing to look around. The audience notices snow starts to build on the ground as Jack moves forward. "Good news, bad news," Jack narrates. "If I stick to the snow I can see if anyone is leaving tracks. But, I will be, presumably, moving north into colder weather and slower movement."

Jack seems to decide the snow is the way to go as he moves forward. The first of four commercials air. The networks interactive sight allows users to look at some of Jack's equipment. They can see that the compass is of the highest materials precision made.

The show edits more as Jack mover forward at a jog. The images blur and then leap to show the forward progress Jack makes while jogging thought the forest. He stops at a large felled tree that appears to have been that way for some time. Jack leaps easily to the highest point and turns a slow circle. It is becoming dusk in the world that Jack has recorded. Daylight is heavily filtered through the thick woods. As jack looks up his viewers can see dull grey clouds closing overhead.

"I'm going to camp here for the night it looks like," Jack narrates. "Actually, I will attach my bed up high in one of these trees. If the snow hasn't thrown off anyone potentially looking for intruders, at least I may stay out of sight."

Another set of edit changes as the viewers watch Jack climb a tree and assemble a hammock that rock climbers would use. The audience can see the specs on all the materials online and confirm their strength and minimal weight. Jack bundles himself to a sleeping position and drapes a camouflage sheet over his whole rig. Lastly he detaches another camera fish eyed small camera and positions it to look to the ground.

Jack gives the audience a final narration for the night it would seem. "The suit I'm wearing now has temperature controls built in, so I won't have to worry about cold. The power to the devices comes from batteries I can charge with solar or a manual hand turn generator. I actually have movies, music and books stored in my special tablet. I don't think I will use them tonight." Jack spoke the entire time in a whisper. He peeks through a small opening and the turns to sleep.

More commercials air and there is only about five minutes left to air of the episode. Many wonder what else can be shown in that time. When the program returns the viewers are watching through the portable fish eyed camera Jack setup. It is the grainy green and white image of night vision. A clock appears on the image and speeds up a little over three hours and then slows to normal. Snow has begun to fall and the wind has picked up.

Without warning a large creature slowly walks into view. The viewers eventually realize they are looking down at a bear. The animal walks unnaturally though as its head remains stationary while it moves. The bear does not sniff or look around itself.

When the beast comes right below the camera and the sleeping Jack it stops. It stands perfectly still for a minute. Slowly the creature crookedly turns its head upward. Many viewers scream in terror as they can see the beast has half of its face gone. And while the face may show a long row of exposed teeth and nostril holes, the eyes appear to be intact. In fact they are glowing unnaturally bright.

The bear holds its head in place for another moment before quietly turning back to where it came from. As it leaves the viewers get a good look at a row of exposed ribs and organs. The episode fades to black and the credits roll over a remorseful tune.

Audience speculation prior to this episode had often theorized that Jack had actually travelled to a different time on earth. Many looked forward to the potential encounters with extinct animals and visits to our ancestors. Now the misfiring compass and the bear encounter threw that belief into disarray.

The online community almost immediately tossed out the Earth of another time idea. The focus turned mostly to the bear. Initially some suggested the animal was almost dead and would succumb to either its disease or injuries. This carried until the next day, even with some immediate dissenters.

Like most episodes, the prior nights Traveler was part of the networks news cycles. Experts of all scientific fields were called upon to discuss the prior episode. The most startling discovery from these discussions was a near universal agreement that the bear could not be alive as it walked around. Little explanation could be given for how the animal was able to move then. The only consensus was that everyone would have to watch the next episode to hopefully find out.

The next episode begins and the audience is a little disappointed that it starts with Jack emerging from his hammock to daylight. He begins to take apart his structure and again, thankfully, the show speeds through the process. Jack's next task, "Gotta catch breakfast."

Jack's new strength and agility have him leaping through branches and pouncing effortlessly to the ground. In little time he has caught an assortment of squirrels and rabbits. He quickly dispatches them, which is unsettling to younger viewers that had been advised of the shows adult content.

Another fast edit as Jack cleans and cooks his meal. It seems like almost too much to eat at first and many speculate he will have to pack some in snow to preserve them. But the viewers are quickly reminded of Jack's new accelerated hunger as he devours the small group of creatures. "That helps a lot," he explains aloud. "I get really hungry, really fast anymore."

More text appears that explains Jack was sent with nutrient packs that can be mixed with water. They are high in protein and fiber and each dose can act as a meal, even for Jack McCallen.

"Today I am going to seek higher ground to see if there is anything around," Jack narrates. "West, it looks like there is a large hill."

The image holds toward the west seemingly. The audience makes out the rise of a hill in the distance. The snowcapped trees rise steadily in the distance, marking the destination. As Jack begins to walk the commercials begin.

When the show returns he had progressed to denser woods. The light is dimmer from above and the only noise is Jack's steady breathing. He moves quickly and quietly through the dense forest. The only interruption is a quick blur of hunting and eating for what is presumably lunch. At the end of his meal Jack looks around in a slow circle. The audience at home or watching on hand held devices and listening with headphones, feels the quiet and loneliness of the forest. Those watching with others find themselves, at times, giving one another reassuring smiles.

Jack stamps out his small cook fire and moves on. It is obvious to the audience he is moving uphill. In editing jumps, Jack moves through chunks of the forest. Progressively, his world grows darker and colder.

"Looks like it will dark before I reach the top," Jack tells the viewers. "But I don't see how it can be any creepier than stopping anywhere here for the night."

Jack gives another turn around to illustrate his point. The woods are dense and dark. The light is losing the battle as it is filtered through the heavy growth. Snow is lightly falling around Jack. He pushes on in his uniquely swift manner.

Fifteen minutes left to the episode and another commercial break. Audiences everywhere share their unease at walking in the dark woods of an alien world. Many offer their opinion about what Jack should be doing next. As well as critiquing mistakes they believe he has made to this point.

When the show returns, oddly the host is back on. Surprisingly he gives the audience a quick warning telling them that the remainder of the episode is very disturbing. Children are definitely not advised to be watching. Of course few are deterred and continue to watch, even more intrigued.

The show returns with a swift payoff. Jack is well into the night and it has obviously become much colder where he is. The audience watches as he adjusts his black suit to pull out a hood and mask combo. Jack then adjusts his electronic temperature regulator to make the suit warmer. Finally he activates small but bright flashlights at his shoulders. He steps one foot forward, when he is done, and then suddenly drops to the ground.

He makes no noise and he and the audience are listening intently. The audience is a moment behind before hearing what had alerted Jack. Rustling sounds, many of them are coming from an unknown direction. The sound is accompanied by what sound like snapping branches. Jack is crouched yet moving. He rounds one large tree and is quickly halted.

It takes the audience a moment to register what they are seeing. There are people and animals crowded together. They are walking up the same hill as Jack and some begin to walk toward him. Seeing humans from another world is startling enough, but these humans are different. The few heading Jack's way have far too blue eyes to be normal. And while their bodies might make noise, they were otherwise silent.

"Oh, no," Jack whispers.

As the people grow closer, more detail can be out. They are men and women, boys and girls. They are wearing furs and leather and often not much at all. But what is most surprising is that they all appear to be wounded. Not cuts or bruises, but large gaping wounds throughout their bodies. Several have exposed bones, muscle and organs. And yet they shamble forward.

Jack runs. He runs through the trees and it is a jumble to the viewers. They can only see what Jack's cameras and flashlights allow. The view suddenly shifts as it appears Jack has fallen. He looks back at what appears to be a sharpened wooden, protruding from the snow and pointing from where he was running from.

Jack seems lost for a moment, examining the stake. His viewers are collectively wishing him to get up and run. Another loud crash of something moving through branches and bush convinces Jack to get to his feet. He remains crouched and holding onto the stake. Now the audience begins to hear shouting in the distance. The words can't be made out, but they are definitely coming from human. And as Jack points his body and cameras toward them, the image shows the peaks of fires up the hill.

Jack turns off the flashlights and runs for the fires. The way up becomes steep and Jack is often sliding down for as much progress as he makes. On one such occasion he looks behind himself and a small collection of the dead are some 20 meters back. There is a stag with whole antler torn violently from its head, half a nude man crawling and a small collection of mangled persons and beasts. All with haunting blue eyes.

Jack jumps up the hill to grab a branch. He stays above the snow and hurtles himself forward on tree limbs and bark. The audience, watching, grows more anxious as they realize there is little time left in the episode.

Jack pauses and rest on a small foothill to catch his breath. He gets little time, though, as a new lumbering noise is coming from in front of him. This time Jack reaches to his side and pulls out what appears to be a black, military grade, combat knife. He holds it, and he, very still as the noise draws near.

Suddenly another human bursts forward and trudges through the snow toward Jack. The audience can see this man dragging what appears to be a sword in one hand while holding a torch in the other. The man stops in surprise as he discovers Jack. Jack and the cameras rise to greet this man.

He is wearing black leather and black fur. His eyes aren't blue like the dead. Instead it is obvious he has frozen tears running into his beard. Shock and terror are all over this man's face.

Wordlessly the man looks over Jack. Finally he draws close to him, "Run, you idiot. All is lost," he hoarsely yells at Jack.

The credits roll on silently against a black background.


End file.
